We who love flavors in the bitter and beyond range, know there is a vast secret wilderness of taste and experience in this sometimes dangerous backcountry. Bitter is the riskiest flavor. Plants warn you of their potential for poison. But for the persistent or perhaps for the foolhardy, the depth and beauty of flavors in this range are like finding buried treasure on a pirate map. Coffee and cocoa can shock the taste buds, before becoming a lifelong love. It is the same with the rare herbs, roots, and flowers that shape the great bitters, amers, amaros, and kräuterlikörs.

Like the toadstools of Escalante's Grand Staircase, the great artistry of these liqueurs and bitters is the delicate balancing act of bitterness, aromatics, and other natural flavors. A warming of the throat and stomach highlightsthe

traditional consumption of this type of spirit as a digestive or digestif, or after-dinner liqueur. We think this also make them perfect for after-ski, after-hike, or as an intense flask-filler for your next adventure into the wilderness.

And like the exotic canyon toadstool, these spirits come in all shapes & flavors. So follow the TOADSTOOL™ for a year-to-year exploration of the depth and diversity of this class of bitter and bold spirit. We see absinthe on the horizon, but may make some trips into side canyons before we get to our destination. Some trips will be more dangerous than others, but we’ll cover a lot of ground in the bitter backcountry before we’re done. If you’re like us, you probably already know if you’re willing to sign up for this adventure.